Discs m.2 sata and nvme: all the information and recommended models

Today we will talk all about M.2. The M.2 that previously were known by the name of NGFF, and that is that they are substitutes for the already old mSata, creating disks that are much smaller and with greater capacity. The main objective of these SSD drives is to provide practical and fast solutions when storage "collapses".

We recommend reading our guides:

• Best SSDs of the moment Comparative: SSD vs HDD How to optimize an SSD in Windows 10 How long is an SSD disk

All about M.2: Better performance, smaller size and consumption

As we know the technology is evolving and it is no secret to anyone that future laptops and PCs will be smaller and faster than today. This means that the optimization of several elements is necessary, the most important one, hard drives.

They are made up of a width of about 22 mm. As for the length, both the length, they reach up to about 30 mm. The length increased to 110 m with measurements 2230/2242/2260/2280. There is a small possibility of using one or even both sides to minimize the size and thus achieve a greater capacity. It will be customary to observe much longer and thinner M.2 devices.

M.2 disks are the ideal disks, since for practical purposes many problems that conventional hard disks offer disappear, having the advantage of SSD disks: performance and potential. In addition to not having to connect the SATA cables for power and data transfer. And it is that, traditional SSD drives transfer information through SATA buses, while M.2 use both the SATA bus and PCI-e buses that are much more practical, faster, wider and with more traffic.

As for performance improvements, it is critical that the motherboard, device, and operating system have an understanding of each other, that they connect with each other to achieve the best optimization. Since there are several modes of use and it may happen that you do not achieve the proper configuration to obtain the best performance. It may also happen that the change of operation asks you to install the operating system again, since you had it in Legacy and to function correctly the AHCI option is necessary.

We recommend reading how to optimize SSD with Windows 10.

We can reduce consumption using the "NVMe" mode . Not only does it improve speed, but new commands have been added that minimize consumption. What can be extraordinary and ideal for portable equipment.

Keep in mind that some SATA SSDs perform better than some M.2 SSDs, this is because they are worse at sequential read / write, but positively, they are better at unzipping files and in normal use. It's a relief that they don't have a problem with the garbage collector in RAID.

Possibly you will have problems starting up if you use the "PCI Express" mode for Windows 7 and earlier. If you have the Windows 10 operating system, you can use it as a boot disk and get the most out of it.

Performance test SSD SATA vs M.2 SATA vs M.2 NVMe

We have paired the Samsung 850 EVO 500GB with SATA 3 to 6GBp / s interface, the Kingston SSDNow M.2 SATA 240GB and the Samsung 950 PRO M.2 NVMe so that you can clearly see what their differences are. As we can see, the evolution of technology is noticeable and especially the price. Currently, M2 NVMe disks have a Euro / GB value that is double and even triple that of a traditional SATA or M.2 SATA disk. If you want the latest, you will have to go through the box .

Recommended Models

Now we leave you our list of recommended M.2 SSD models:

Crucial MX300

Not everything is going to be M.2 NVMe disks, we also have SATA that are cheaper and that comes to us like a finger to improve the cooling of the equipment and further avoid wiring inside our computer. It incorporates a good controller, reads and writes of 510 MB / s and Acronis True Image HD software to make backup copies of our operating system.

WE RECOMMEND HighSpoint presents its ultra-fast SSD7101 units

Kingston SSDNow M.2

One of the best selling models of this year for its excellent quality / price range. It incorporates a Pishon PS3108-S8 controller, Toshiba A19 memories and supports TRIM. Currently we can find it in its 120, 240 and 480 GB versions. If you want a reliable model you can choose it, which will have no problem for your PC or MAC equipment.

Kingston HyperX Predator M.2 NVME

Currently one of the most powerful on the market with a reading of 14000 MB / s and a writing of 1000 MB / s. It carries the Marvell 88SS9293 controller along with good NAND Flash memories. It does not overheat and has no compatibility problems with the best motherboards on the market.

Samsung 950 PRO M.2 NVMe

It has its own Samsung UBX controller and Samsung V-NAND memory, making it the best alternative on the market so far. Although soon the Samsung 960 EVO and PRO versions will appear with better prices. 2200 MB / s readings and 1500 MB / s write. Speechless!

What did you think of our guide on M.2 SATA and NVMe drives? Did you know their differences? As always we invite you to ask us everything you need, we will resolve any doubts as soon as possible.